Carpet-sweeper.



No. 670,5I3. Patented Mar. 26,- IQDL.

W. T. JHNSTON & J. STEWART.

CARPET SWEEPEB.

{Applicntinn ledMay 21, 189B. Renewed; Sept, 15, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. JOHNSTON AND JAMES STEWART, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,513, dated March 26., 1901.

Application filed May 21, 1898. Renewed September 15, 1900 Serial No. 30,187. (No model.)

To all r11/tom, it mfay/ concern:

Beit known that we,W1LLIAM T. JOHNSTON and JAMES STEWART, citizens of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids,in the conn ty of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Sweepers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

Ourinvention relates to improvements in carpet-sweepers; and its object is to provide the same with improved means for alternately raising and lowering the sides of the pans adjacent to the brush, so that the pan in advance of the brush shall be close to the carpet and the pan at the rear of the brush will be elevated; also, to provide means for simultaneously adjusting both of the pans and the brush high or low for hard or soft carpet by shifting the bail from side to side of the case, and to provide the device with certain other new and usefulfeatures, all of which are hereinafter more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being hadi to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis anend elevation of a device embodying our invention, with a portion of the case broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, showing the inner side of one end of the device; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of the same on the line 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4: a detail showing one end of the device in verticalsection on the line 4 4 of Figs. l and 2.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.

A represents the case, B the brush-shaft, and C the drive-wheels, all as usually made in carpet-sweepers.

D is the bail, provided with lugs D', projecting diagonally from the ends of the same and arranged at such an angle thereto that when the bail is inclined to one side said lugs will project downward and engage the brushhangers G, and when the bail is oppositely inclined the lugs will be out of engagement with the hangers. The bail has a limited horizontal movement on the case by being pivoted upon the ends of a rod E, extending across the case, near the top thereof, and ro tative in vertical slots in clips F, attached to the ends of the case. Said rod has a slight vertical movement in the clips to accommodate the horizontal movement of its ends in horizontal openings F in the ends of the case. The rod E is bent twice at right angles near its ends, forming arms E', and its ends extend` through said horizontal slots in the case and are inserted in openings in the ends of the bail. The hangers G are provided with inwardly-projecting studs B', forming the journals for the brush, and extend upward therefrom and thence horizontally at right angles through openings in the case and have their inner ends extended upward inside the case and provided with vertically-slotted openings to receive the ends of the rodE and permit the hangers to move vertically on said rod. To prevent the brush-bearings from moving laterally and permit the hangers to th'us move at their upper ends, lugs I I are struck up in the guard-bars, which lugs engage and holdthe respective edges of the hangers and allow them to slide vertically and rock therein. Springs L' engage the studs B' and yieldingly support the hangers with their. upper horizontal parts in contact with the bail ends. Said springs are secu red to the guard-bars by lugs I I', struck up out of the guard-bars and engaging opposite sides of the spring and embracing the same. From the inner end of the hangers are extended diagonally outward and downward the rigid arms G' G', to the lower ends of which arms the pans K are pivoted near their inner sides. The outer sides of the pans are pivoted to the movable ends of the horizontal arms M of the bell-crank levers pivoted to the case at J', substantially opposite the ends of the arms G' and extending through the said case, from the outer ends.

` of which pivots extend the vertical levers J.

spective ends of rods N, extending along the inner sides of the vertical walls of the case, and secured thereto by staples P P'. These rods are sprung out of line to prevent rotation thereof and to enable them to act as torsionsprings. These rods are also bent twice at right angles near the ends and extend through enlarged openings O in the ends of the case to permit said ends to move vertically. The case is thus supported on springs consisting of these rods, the ends of which form journals for the drive-wheels. These rods also opel ate as springs to press the drive-wheels against the brush-pulley B".

As propelling pressure is applied to the bail its journals move to the forward ends of the slots F. It thus tilts the upper ends ot' the hangers forward and also lowers the forward pan close to the carpet at its inner edge and raises the corresponding edge of the rear pan. Then the motion of the sweeper is reversed, the described adjustment of the pans is reversed. rlhus the leading pan is at all times lowered and the other one raised at the side adjacent to the brush. When the bail is inclined to one side, as shown, the lugs D are out of contact with the hangers, and the springs L raise the hangers, together with both of the pans and also the brush, until the hangers contact the rounded ends of the bail. This adjusts the machine high7 for sweeping soft carpets, and when the bail is oppositely inclined the lugs D' engage the hangers and adjust the brush and pans low for hard carpets. It will be observed that such adjustment is in no wise affected or varied by any changes in the elevation of the end of the bail while in action, which is undesirable, such adjustment being best accom plished by downward pressure on the bail, which causes the torsion-springs formed by the rods N to yield and lower the case and contents. The bell-crank levers being pivoted substantially in the same line with lthe pivots in the ends of the arms G, the pans readily turn on the latter pivots when the levers M are turned down against the action ou the springs L to dump the pans.

By the described construction we are able to make the hangers Gr and diverging arms Gr integral, and thus materially simplify the construction.

Having thus fully described ourinvention, what we claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In acarpet-sweeper, a case, pans vertically movable at their inner sides, pivots supporting the outer sides of said pans,a rod journaled in the top of the case, and having its ends extended downward and outward and horizontally movable in the case, a bail pivoted on the ends of said rod, and rigid diverging arms extending directly from the ends of said rod to the inner sides of the pans and attached thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a carpet-sweeper, a case having horizontally-elongated openings in its ends, dust# pans vertically movable at their inner sides, pivots supporting the outer sides of said pans, a rod journaled in vertically-slotted clips and having its ends bent twice at right angles and sliding horizontally in said openings, a bail pivoted on the ends of said rod, and diverg ing arms connecting the sliding ends et' said rod, with the inner sides of thedust-pans, substantially as described.

3. In a carpet-sweeper, a case, a bail horizontally movable relative to the case and hav- 'ing diagonally-projecting lugs at its ends,

dust-pans having pivoted supports at their outer sides vertically movable at their inner sides, vertically-movable hangers supporting the brush and engaging the ends of the bail and the lugs on the same, springs supporting the hangers and diverging arms connected to the bail at their upper ends and pivoted to the inner sides of the dust-pans, substantially as described.

4. In a carpet-sweeper, a case, pans pivoted at their outer sides and vertically movable at their inner sides, a rod journaled in the top of the case and having its ends extended downward and outward through the ends of the case and horizontally movable therein, hangers supporting the brush and attached to the horizontally-movable ends ol the rod, a bail pivoted on the same, and rigid diverging arms extending' from the hangers to the inner sides of the dust-pans and attached thereto, substantially as described.

5. In a carpet-sweeper, a case, a bail journaled on a rod horizontally movable in the case, lugs on the bail, hangers supporting the brush and engaged by said lugs and the bail ends, and also having an upturned inner end having a slotted opening engaging said rod, springs supporting the hangers, and diverging arms attached to the hangers and supporting the inner sides of the pans, substantially as described.

6. In a carpet-sweeper, a case, dust-pans pivoted at their outer sides to said case, a bail having diagonal lugs on its ends and journaled on a rod horizontally movable in the case, hangers supporting the brush and having di- Verging arms supporting the inner sides of the pans and slotted upper ends engaging the rod and horizontal portions engaging the lugs, and springs supporting said hangers, substantially as described.

7. In a carpet-sweeper, in combination with a case and dust-pans, a rod journaled in the top of the case and having its ends extended downward and outward through the case and horizontally movable therein, a bail pivoted on said rod, diverging arms extending from the ends of said rod to the inner sides of the pans and pivoted to the same, bell-crank levers pivoted to the case opposite the pivots of said arms, and supporting the outer sides of the pans, substantially as described.

8. In a carpetsweeper, in combination with IOO IIO

the case, pans, and brush-shaft, a bail having journals horizontally movable in the case and also having diagonal lugs, hangers Supporting the brush and engaging the said lugs and journals, diverging arms attached to the hangers and pivotally supporting the inner sides of the pans, bell-crank levers pivoted to the case opposite the ends of said arms and pivoted to the outer sides of the pans and supporting the same, and supporting-springs for the hangers and bell-crank substantially as described.

9. In a carpetsweeper, a case, a rod extending across the top of the case and thence downward and outward through horizontally-elongated openings in the case, clips supporting said rod, a bail pivoted on the ends of said rod and having diagonal lugs, hangers supporting the brush and extending beneath the bail and engaged by the same and also having an upwardly-extended portion having a slotted opening engaging 4said rod, means for yieldingly supporting said hangers, diverging arms pivoted to the inner ends of the pans and supporting the same, and bell-crank levers pivoted to the case opposite the ends of said arms and having their horizontal arms pivoted to the outer sides of the 'pans and supporting the same, substantially as described. l

lO. In a carpet-sweeper, the combination of a case, a bail horizontally movable on the case and having diagonal lugs on its ends, hangers engaging the bail and moved at its upper end both vertically and horizontally thereby,

guard-bars having lugs engaging the edges of said hangers, springs 'secured to the guardbars and su pporting said hangers,and diverg-v l1. In a carpet-sweeper, a case, arod extending across the top of the case and bent twice at right angles near its ends and extended through the horizontally-elongated openings in the case, clips supporting said rod and having vertical slots, a bail pivoted on the ends of said rod and having diagonal lugs on its ends, hangers supporting the brush-shaft and extending horizontally beneath the bail and engaged thereby and thence extending upward and provided with vertically-elongated openings engaging said rod, guard-bars having lugs embracing said hangers, springs attached to said bars and supporting the hangers, diverging arms on the hangers pivoted to the inner sides of the pans, bell-crank levers pivoted to the case opposite the pivots of said arms and also pivoted to the outer sides of the pans and springsengaging said bell-crank levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. JOHNSTON. JAMES STEWART.

Witnesses:

LEWIS E. FLANDERS, LUTHER V. MoULToN. 

